“I should’ve seen this coming,” he told me. “I just kept hoping it wouldn’t really happen.” That phone call still haunts me. This isn’t a story about a bad businessperson. This is a story about having the warning signs, the leading indicators, and not doing anything about it. And in this industry, that gap between seeing something and doing something about it, is the difference between leading a company that’s growing and one that’s slowly running out of time.
I’ve spent my career in print, and over the last decade or so, I’ve watched two kinds of leaders really stand out. The first kind keeps doing what has always worked. Making small adjustments at the margins and hoping that the dog-eared play book continues to deliver. The second one stays restless and curious. They’re always learning and always asking questions. They are striving, along with their team, to position their companies for what’s next, trying to anticipate the future.
To me, the second group is winning. Not because they’re smarter, but because they’ve built a set of habits that allow them to be honest with themselves about where the gaps are and are open to ideas in how to fill them.
Four Traits That Help Define Those Who Thrive
Agility. Like a good basketball player, agility is the ability to pivot without losing your footing. Agility isn’t about being impulsive either. To me, it’s about shortening the gap between seeing the signal, and doing something about it. It’s about willing to abandon what’s not working anymore, even when it’s something you’ve built and you’re proud of. The market has moved on; customers have moved on; it’s time for you to move on.
Read this full article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
